Sound Advice III

As promised, this represents the third of three articles (see: Sound Advice I & Sound Advice II) where I’ve attempted to tweak certain elements of your audio set-up, particularly for those involved in online advocacy, but quite naturally this advice extends to anyone (which these days covers practically the entire population) who need to establish any kind of online audio-visual presence, be it an interview, a podcast, and/or a teaching r?le.

This article to a degree represents the fun stuff, and had Covid not exploded all of our lives, I had every intention to write it pre-Christmas, but there you go. What I propose to do is make a few microphone recommendations to supplement the improvements that I hope you have already effected through the reading of Sound Advice I & Sound Advice II and then to briefly discuss both pop filters, and isolation shields.

So here goes; but I should emphasise that this article should only be read AFTER you’ve made the changes I’ve suggested in the first two articles. In fact, if you haven’t got the basics in place, a good microphones (which may well be considerably more sensitive than you are used to) will only make things worse, serving to amplify how acoustically poor your source environment is. You have been warned - so if you haven’t read the first two articles, read them first, before you spend out your hard earned cash on any hardware.

Microphones:

For any audiophile, microphones can fast become a source of considerable interest and indeed expenditure. Classics such as the Sony C800G (pictured above) costing well into four figures. The good news is that to dramatically enhance your sound quality you don’t need to spend that kind of money. Here are just three models, all of which I have direct experience of, and all of which come highly recommended. Of course there are many other choices available in what is fast becoming an over-saturated market. 

All three are connected via USB and feature Plug & Play connectivity - meaning you don’t need to download any other software interface.

i. SUDOTACK ST 810

I have to say, that for an entry level microphone, I just love the ST 810, so much so that I have even bought them as presents for family and friends, and have one permanently set up on the i-mac I use for teaching. With an excellent sample rate a 16 mm diaphragm, and a nice heavy stand (plus pop filter) you really get a lot of microphone for under ￡60.00. 

Perfect for Skype calls, teaching, and webinars.

ii. Blue Microphone YETI

I have to say I have a soft spot for these microphones. Looking rather like R2-D2 they not only look very stylish, but perform incredibly well; indeed, in the studio world, Blue have an almost fanatical following. The Yeti doesn’t disappoint, offering considerably more functionality than the Sudotack - a variety of pickup patterns, a headphone socket with associated volume control, and most importantly a broadcast quality sound. It currently prices up at ￡119.00.

Perfect for recording, and streaming; the only downside is that the microphone cover, and pop filter are not included in the price.

iii. R?DE NT

I have to say if I have a favourite USB microphone it would be the R?DE NT. Though the most expensive of the three, at around ￡169.00 - it really is an outstanding microphone. Well designed, intuitive to use, and sounding just perfect. With a 1” gold plated membrane, fully compatible with all mainstream recording applications, and coming with its own purpose built desk stand, and pop filter, it really is a thing of beauty.

Perfect for all sound recording applications - podcasts, recording, and streaming.

Pop filters:

Originally starting life as a lady’s stocking stretched across a wire frame, in the barest of terms pop filters minimise plosives (hard 'B', 'T' or 'P' sounds that produce a harsh sound) during singing or speech. These are the sounds you will have heard musical artists testing their stage microphones with prior to performance. My advice is to get one, whatever you plan to do with your audio set-up; it will prevent those horrible digital peaks that burn holes in your listeners’ eardrums - never ideal if you’re hoping to impress a judge with your well honed arguments.

Isolation shields:

These come into their own if you intend to record your audio files, but in fact can be incredibly useful even if you’re doing no more than teaching or participating in a webinar, particularly if where your computer is set up is less than acoustically ideal. Essentially they act to reduce unwanted noise, ambiance, and sound wave reflection, and by so doing improve the sound quality of recordings by isolating the microphone from the surrounding environment. 

I’m most familiar with the SE Electronics range which are just great, but have included a link below to Icon Collective’s 10 best recommendations so do be sure to let me know how they work out if you end up trying some of them out.

References:

1. https://www.bluemic.com/en-us/
2. https://en.rode.com/
3. https://iconcollective.edu/best-microphone-isolation-shield-and-reflection-filters/